My friend had come to the road hopefully all of us get on. I call it the "get fit and stay fit" road. She had finally had enough. She decided she was going to make some changes in her life. Every night after work, she walked her neighborhood, up and down rolling hills. She laughs at my memory, but I remember her calling me and telling me how hard it was. She told me she always wanted to turn around and go home. She never did. Her route was a loop so once she passed the halfway mark each day, her only choice was to finish. Night after night, she walked and after a couple of weeks, she started to feel a little better, a little stronger. She actually became strong enough to start adding a little jog to the walk. As the months went by so did the weight. She dropped five pounds easily. Then 10... and 20... and more. I remember the night she called me in complete hysteria. The more fit she became, the more exercise she wanted.

Enter "The Kathy Kaehler Fitness System" video, an oldie but goodie, recently touted on one of the last Oprah Winfrey shows by Julia Roberts. In between giggles, she told me she was in her apartment going up and down on the step in her bathing suit -- it was too hot to wear anything else -- and the sweat from the workout was creating puddles below her. While cracking up with her from the visual, I was so proud of her! Needless to say, her weight continued to drop, her fitness level improved, and my friend was a happy camper.

Now some people love to work out at the gym and they feel that being in that environment motivates them. There is nothing wrong with that and whatever works for you is best. My philosophy has always been you don't need to work out in a gym to get effective results. As a working wife and mother, I get my exercise where I can get it. My motto: It is so easy to incorporate health in your everyday life. I do tricep dips while cooking in the kitchen. This is my all-time favorite workout. Do each exercise with the most energy you can gather and perform it for one minute. Move onto the next exercise until you have done all 10. You will be loving me... and how you look!

1) Jumping Jacks

2) Push-Ups

3) Walking Lunges

4) Bicycle Crunches

5) Run In Place

6) Sit Against the Wall

7) Tricep Dips

8) Plank Hold

9) Do the Twist Dance

10) Be a Rockette and KICK

When you are finished and if you have it in you, do it again! Right away or later on in the day. It is the short, high energy bouts of exercise that can really make a difference.

Now you may be asking why I used this particular title for my blog today -- "Going to the Gym Makes Me Fat!" Well, from my friend's point of view, going to the gym proved that she was not getting an effective work-out, thus gaining more weight. She was not challenging herself at the gym and with her walking every day, she had to get from Point A to Point B and that resulted in gaining momentum and losing weight. As I said, this worked for her, but everyone is different, so it's all up to you and what works for you. Try a different form of exercise and see what it does for your mind and body. Check out my site www.kathykaehler.net and see what gets your attention.